Are you on apps when you can't sleep? Me Too! I am kicking my Cell Phone out of Bed with me!

Like the rest of modern society I too have a level of addiction with technology my phone is glued to me even during a time when I am suppose to be winding down and preparing for bed. At night as I finish brushing my teeth, before I turn the light out I make sure I have my cell phone and my Ipod in the bed with me. For many years at least ten, I have awakened throughout the night, every night around 2am and I've been unable to go back to bed for at least another couple of hours or so. What is weird, sometimes if I have had a really long day and I am extremely tired, I wake up at 2am, use the restroom and fall right back to sleep but if I didn't have a long day I usually can't go back to sleep and I give myself options such as I catch up on my favorite Podcast or I watch YouTube videos on my cell phone until I get sleepy again or I seldom catch up on Instagram Posts. I could do all of these things from just my Ipod luckily enough I blocked YouTube from my Ipod and I can't remember the password for the app on my device. I know I can override that by simply deleting the app or going to my email and resetting the password but I know that it will take a little time so I just don't even bother doing it, besides, I still plan on kicking the YouTube habit so I prefer to keep the block on that device.

My cell phone accompanies my Ipod because it is the only device in which YouTube isn't blocked, so with that being said when I can't sleep I just catch up on some of my favorite video's. However, the initial reason I began placing the phone in the bed with me was so that I could check the time I had awaken and when I fell back to sleep. It allowed me to know how many hours I am unable to sleep and how many hours I was able to sleep. I am almost certain that going for bright devices for hours on end didn't allow my mind to rest and currently does not help with my sleep patterns as well. When I can't go back to sleep, going on YouTube watching video's or listening to audio Podcast on my Ipod fully awakens my mind because this is something that usually is capturing my attention so nothing is screaming relaxation in a place in which I am suppose to be relaxing. All of these post as of late are about me taking back my life swallowed by technology and our subconscious need to be engaged with them all of the time. 

I came up with a solution for the situation, I have decided to go old school and purchase a digital clock. From now own, I will keep my technical devices out of my bed. In order for me to relax my mind and train myself to go back to sleep I will go old school and do what my grandmother use to tell me when I was younger, 'just lay there until you go back to sleep'. I know this sounds harsh but I notice we tend to cater and babysit our every desire in this updated generation. I will not die of boredom because I am laying in the dark waiting on time to fell sleepy again so that my body and mind can rest. I am taking a tough stance with myself. I will not have a meltdown like a toddler at 2am because I am unable to fill that slot with technology, whether its watching YouTube videos, listening to Podcast, strolling through Facebook or Instagram. I have to take my life back, find a balance and engage with these apps during my active hours not my rest and relaxation time of the day. So my cellphone and Ipod are being officially kicked out of my bed and labeled by me as a distraction during my supposed time of rest. If you suffer from broken rest or the inability to sleep throughout the night and you too reach for your gadgets I hope that you too find a way to get your rest back. I am certain that the inability to sleep is less about technology and more about whatever is on your mind but distractions and fillers can easily become habits if we're not mindful.

Was I really on YouTube that Long?

What in the Hell did those YouTube Videos do to me????

     Have you ever had some free time or a free day and you decided that you were just going to chill out and watch only a 'few vidoes' and when you put your head down to view your screen it was daylight and when you looked up and it was dark outside? By this time your battery device is dying, people have been calling and texting interrupting you in the moment(s) in which you are very interested in how the situation in the video turns out. I am so intrigued as to how something so menial can capture and hold our attention without us even really knowing it for such an extended period of time. Of course you absolutely realize that you have been watching videos for a really long time once your battery is about to go out on your streaming device or you glance over at the blinds and the street lights are on. I wonder how a person so conscious of how they spend their time, and with whom they spend their time, get caught up in feeling like an addict after a day of binging on YT video's. It is so unfortunate that there are so many people like myself and the woman in the cartoon caption above get sucked into the recommended video's of YT. What is even more weird is how you physically and mentally feel after watching video's all day and believe you me it is totally different from traditional television. From my own experience watching YouTube videos all day makes me feel like an addict and a sloth. I also feel extremely physically and mentally drained. I can recall each time I binged watched videos I looked and felt like all the life had been drained out of me. I found myself re-energizing after a few days and I would go back for more and do it again, watch videos for hours on end. I was a full blown YT addict. So I found myself interestingly enough deciding to write another book and this time it was not about 'Love, Life and Relationships' which is centered around my new Podcast 'Rebel At Heart'  https://soundcloud.com/rebelatheartpodcast it is going to be discussing how people are losing themselves to an overload of social media, many of them before they can even have a chance to even discover who they really are. I am currently halfway done with the book but I have been one heck of a guinea pig but there is still more work to be done. I am on the hunt and the journey to discover how YT videos have the ability to send you to the sunken place and you have no idea why it's so hard to pull away from any Social Media Platform for long periods of time. Please understand me there is nothing wrong with using social media and YT for that matter but when it comes to being on here all day and you are without reason such as promoting your brand or building an online business your just frivolously strolling, that's an issue! You are robbing yourself of everything you are capable of doing or becoming. Stay tuned as the journey continue, in upcoming post we will discuss why we get so easily sucked into watching videos for hours at a time, how we get sucked in, and how information and ideology overload may really be effecting our emotional and mental state more than we think. I want you to accompany me as I discover why we have unknowingly become so enamored with other people's lives and not our own!

Why Are People Sad?

     This morning when I began my day, I attempted to record a show for my podcast, 'rebelatheart' https://soundcloud.com/rebelatheartpodcast on Soundcloud and as I sat down to record the show in my studio aka 'my closet' and I got about eight minutes into the show and stopped recording, I wasn't feeling it. I then decided to just put my make up on and create a video about it on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/authorklsterling/ and after several failed attempts I came to the conclusion that this topic needed to be written out because while recording the video it dawned on me there are so many different reasons to why people are sad. Though most people who may be reading this blog may not visibly or physically look like the man in the photo above however, there are many people who actually resemble him on the inside but they dress up nice, neat, presentable or even beautifully but are merely frail, weak and broken on the inside. 

     When I began thinking about the various reasons of why people could possibly be sad it lead me down a rabbit trail of thoughts and of course I followed. People could be sad because the death of a loved one, they've never felt loved, lack of support, lack of confidence, their own insecurities, (including but not limited too not feeling like they are good enough), bad relationships, lack of money, life dealt them an unfair hand, underachieving, illnesses, the inability to please people, replaying the past, etc. There could be a host of various reasons of why people are sad. 

     For instance a trigger of sadness for me is my economic situation. Yes I have experienced the loss of loved ones throughout my life, terrible relationships, illnesses and self confidence issues all of which I wrote a book about title, 'I'm Enough' https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=im+enough&type=  (or available wherever books are sold). I will say like many Millienials I too was directed by my high school guidance counselor to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life. I think that was some of the worst advice I received because it lead me to get several degrees all of which are in Arts and not Science, and a loan debt I don't know how I am going to repay. So like many others that is one of a few triggers of sadness for me. My present concern is not for myself but to bring to light that sadness does not have a certain side of town that it targets. Sadness doesn't have a certain demographic. It is easy to look at Social Media or someone who is rich or wealthy and assume that because they have plenty of money, and they may be beautiful or handsome according to Society's standards and assume that their life is perfect. Heartache and brokenness is an emotion that has the potential to afflict us all. I have never seen so much opportunity in one country and so much sadness and depression at the same time. It leads me to ask the question if much of what we are sad about has to do with something that is not often discussed and that age old question, Who are you and What will you contribute while you are here? Your identity and purpose! So many people are overworked, under paid and not obtaining a sense of accomplishment, fulfillment or value throughout life. I wonder how much value or purpose one must feel because we absorb the things the media or society has projected onto us through imagery. For instance, I went to look at a Condo on yesterday and when I went in I immediately didn't connect with the place right away because the kitchen was not updated, the hardwood floors did not run throughout the entire house, and it was too small for what I was looking for overall. If you refer to the statement I mentioned a few sentences ago I could have sworn that I stated I had a ton of debt that I was not sure how I was going to repay but here I am giving this place a bougie side eye on Oscar Meyer Bologna money.....really......where in the world do they have that type of mindset? Good old United States of America. I won't go down the Political, Economical or Educational manipulation people are experiencing here for the sake of staying on topic. I'm tired of being a monetary slave 😞😢😱 I digress. It is unfortunate that sadness is an epidemic and for so many various reasons. I feel that there are more broken people that get up and participate in the daily workforce than we care to share. I guess my entire purpose of this post is to encourage people, despite of sadness just continue going. I realized that I had been dealing with sadness not because of physical homelessness, or lack of other necessities (food or water) that are required to live but because of my economic situation. If you are going to be sad choose not to be sad for superficial reasons. Though my loan debt is something that has caused me great concern and heartache I realize that the mistake is made and life continues forward despite of how I feel. This is true for others who suffer in sadness, life for others and yourself continue despite whether we want to get out of bed every morning or not. Find something that makes you happy. Something that makes me feel a sense of purpose is encouraging others. I found myself talking to a lot of young people about choices, life and college debt. I just enjoy encouraging and uplifting others this is what makes me feel fulfilled, purposeful and happy! I hope you do the same, if you forget about yourself for a few minutes everyday that is a great start to becoming more happy.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

     Many of us have been here. We have all be experienced being in a state of indecisiveness. However, for some of us, the inability to make decisions are just a way of life, like procrastination is a way of life for some, being late a way of life for others'. I hate to compare indecisiveness to the traits of poor habits but that was the analogy that came to me at the particular time.

     If you have ever had the opportunity to take standardized testing in Western Culture most teachers when preparing their students for test many of them will often encourage their students to go with your first choice. When you mark an answer or choose your answer unless you are absolutely sure do not change that answer because your first choice is often the right choice. So maybe, just maybe could it all be possible to apply this concept with our lives outside the academic setting? Certainly!
I do believe that this concept is very helpful when it comes to certain decisions, but there are some choices that require more time and some would say a deeper level of thought. I have made many decisions based off of the pros and cons system. There are times when I have had more cons than pros and still decided to go for it because that was just the decision I wanted to make at that time. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes it didn't but internally I felt as if I had to take that gamble.

     I am one of those who believe that we usually have the answer but we spend time weighing our options because we are trying to logically come up with a different answer or we spend more time asking other people for their advice about the decisions we should make about our own life! Have you ever been faced with a situation that required you to make a decision, then you make a choice and things do not go right after you made your decision and your immediate response was I should have followed my first mind. It is often said that the spirit or your inner being direct and guides your decision making but we have to yield to it, despite the softness or faintness of its presence.

     I guess what I want you to gain most from this post is to be sure when it comes to decision making it is okay to sit back and think things through but at the same time there are certain things that do not require a lot of thought such as the decision to love yourself, to further yourself whether academically, personally, professionally, spiritually etc. but creating a game plan to build yourself will take as much action or effort as it will figuring out the means in which to get you to the place in which you are trying to reach. Also, with decision making don't be afraid to make choices and know that sometimes not making a decision or decisions is just as bad as not making a decision at all. We are not perfect beings so we will not make the right choice, each and every time so do not beat yourself up if in fact you make a decision that doesn't have a pleasant ending to that choice. There is more to be learned from mistakes and the lessons that it teaches than making the right choices at times and that's the very thing that is not elaborated on enough in our current society. However,  we do not have to learn from only our mistakes and choices we can learn from that of others' which can help aide us in learning to be better decision makers, which in turn can teach you how to be a wise decision maker.

Smart Phones and the Power you hold in your hand!

If you are active and living on the grid you probably own a smart phone. Smart phones are literally a mini computer or a portable computer on the go. If you were to go to a public place, event or better yet a college campus the majority of people would probably be looking down giving their full attention to their phone, so it would appear. Cell phones have amazing features and are an overall great gadget however, I am writing this blog post with not complete bias but experience of social interaction with people face to face rather than through the means of technology. I was so blessed not fortunate to grow up during a time in which the way you met friends, boyfriends/girlfriends and created a social life was through real life human interaction. This is not a dis to cell phones nor technology but since the arrival of smart phones, cool apps and the growing dependence on internet technology it is crippling human beings socially. For a growing population having a full conversation outside of Social Media Platforms and Text messages have become a job that requires a lot of effort. I can talk about this subject matter and be frank about it because I am guilty. I found myself not wanting too talk. I found myself having more of a desire to text and when I noticed it I immediately started to pull away from texting as frequently. I forced myself to talk even if it were only for a few minutes because I did not want to become that person who hid behind their text messages. I recall some years ago, a person who I considered my best friend texted me and throughout the months I noticed the individual would text me random conversations and I recall the topic in which we were discussing was so serious I didn't want to continue this conversation via text. I decided to call this individual and my phone call wasn't answered. I called again and this person did not answer the phone. I then texted my friend and said we were just texting and I called you but you didn't answer the phone then this person text me back the NEXT DAY and stated that they prefer not to talk but to text. I was shocked but I was like okay no problem. Later down the line, a few months later the exact same thing happened, I received a random text message from this individual and this person is telling me the story of their life and out of concern I called and my call was not answered then I called back the call was sent to voicemail. I did what most people do when they become offended that their call was rejected I sent a text. I said I was only calling out of concern for you didn't want anything extra. First of all, I completely blame myself because this individual had already let me know that their preferred way to communicate was not talking but through texting. It was then that I knew that we had two totally different outlooks on smartphones, socialization and communication. This doesn't make this individual a bad person or me an aggressive person it simply meant that we had formulated separate views on how we would use smartphones, apps and technology as it related to real life communication between friends not someone who simply followed you on social media. It was weird to see my "friend" post every thread and moment of their life on social media but couldn't have a decent 30 minute telephone conversation. It was so intriguing to see this person put a sugar coated truth on a social media post but the real truth in a text. I was floored because for me there were just certain things I did not want to put out their on the internet for all the world to see. With smartphones, technology and cool apps I have seen no end to the amount of information people are willing to put out about themselves for attention, or because they are lonely or don't have a REAL SOCIAL LIFE outside of apps and the internet. I will be doing more post about this as my BRAND NEW BOOK will be released some time this year and it is all about TECHNOLOGY and the POWER OF THE INTERNET and how it is affecting designed human social interactions.

A Year Round Grinch? No I'm Enforcing Boundaries.

I must admit that sometimes I feel like a year round Grinch. However, as I have examined not all but many that have gravitated towards me they get a level of gratification from the comfort of the conversation that they receive. I didn't assume this on my own I did indeed have the audacity to ask and some I did not ask because they volunteered that information in that they feel so comfortable talking with me and that makes me feel so good. However, after constantly listening to other people's problems or life's issues the photo of the woman above is exactly what I feel like on the inside. I literally feel as if I am a ball of emotions that are about to let loose and scream because I have made myself too emotionally available to listening to others' people's problems. Let me just say that I am a huge believer in therapy and counseling so I do encourage people that I come into contact with that clearly I am not a licensed professional and I think you would benefit more if you put that Medical Insurance too use because in fact if you are in the United States we are required by Law to have it. In other words' please stop telling me your problems because I have my own and you need to speak with someone who is trained or get paid on how to deal with your issues and who get paid enough to take your issues home with them. I hate to sound completely insensitive but too me the most insensitive thing is that people who are like me that are extremely sensitive to certain things continue to make themselves available to leeches and bloodsuckers. My New Year will not consist of babysitting other people's issues and being taken advantage of by those who come in contact with me I just have to be bold and enforce those boundaries and don't feel guilty about protecting my own sense of sanity. Throughout this entire year and throughout my past I have been entangled in other people issues and I found myself motivating people, encouraging people and cheering on others to get through their hurdles but now I seem to be the one that has run out of gas. My energy has become depleted and though many of those relationships I have seemed to break free from its as if I continue to attract the same type of people. I have become convinced of two things: 1) I definitely need to learn more about the Law of Attraction and 2) Is this natural motivation and exhortation that I offer to others' a gift/talent if so why do I feel like I am the one who has received the short end of the stick? I have found that people can be sooooo DRAINING. I hate the feeling of being drained after I encounter certain conversations. The other person feels so refreshed and I feel as if I have gotten into the WWE Ring with the best woman athlete such Awesome Kong or the late Chyna and I have been whipped and beaten from one end of the ring to the next. If this doesn't make matters worse these types of people actually want to be in my daily circle and I am like no way. I cannot survive this relationship/friendship. I am going to be more committed to taking better emotional care of myself. I am going on a serious quest for the year 2017 well actually I have already started. I am creating boundaries that if in fact you call me and if I feel like you want to release and get something off your chest I will not answer the phone. I had already started to incorporate this notion and the leeches had gotten smart to what I was doing so they started the conversation asking about my day and showing a false interest in what my day had been like and once they had my attention they swooped in and dropped their issues of the day. In my mind I would think, I just got tricked then sucked in at the same time. I am thinking if I ever get free of certain people I am never getting back entangled with them. I hope that I would be wise enough to identify that type of individual characteristics and not get entangled with someone new with those same "Energy Draining" attributes. So in short, I am taking back control of my air space aka my personal space. Everyone or Anyone will not be allowed in my personal circle. If you have to incorporate these boundaries also you are not wrong!!!! Let those other people find someone else they can drain. Lastly, be okay if they see you in a negative manner or saying things such as you have changed. Don't feel badly if they talk bad about you, your focus needs to be getting healthy emotionally and staying healthy emotionally. Remember, you are your first priority. 

Develop Tunnel Vision, Laser Your Focus

Develop Tunnel Vision, Laser Your Focus and you will have NO EXCUSES!!!

It is very important that when you are working towards your goals that you learn to keep your eyes straight ahead and achieve the task at hand. In this busy life that most of us live in, it is so easy to get distracted, complacent or give up on our desires, purpose, destiny or goals. We should always be working toward something to make our lives better but often times that just isn't the case, because we allow things around us to obtain more of our attention than what is straight ahead and that is the destination or desired goal. When I look at this tunnel I could only imagine the fear and anxiety that would be going through my mind if I were to walk through it I would simply want to escape, but just correlate that with reality, you will have some fear and anxiety being closed in a mediocre life knowing that something greater resides within you fighting your procrastination, laziness or doubt just dying to get out and positively affect the world but we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed by fear and distraction that we never reach our end goal. So choose to focus and develop tunnel vision so you will have no more excuses in achieving the goals you set for yourself. Vision really does simplify everything else, in life, because it directs you to where you should be going!

Mental Toughness

Your Mind doesn't go where you don't push it!

One of the most rewarding things but yet the toughest thing to do is to train the mind. Oh yes train the mind, it can be done. Successful people are not developed and relentless because they are lazy they become successful because they are not afraid to look a challenge in the face and put in the hard work and countless hours to achieve the goal they want to reach. Through observation, I have gathered that a lot of accomplished people have spent time focusing and for most of us that would take a lot of work if you suffer from getting distracted really easily like myself. Something that I found to be very beneficial is repeating a mantra 'the strength of your mind will always be your driving force to achieving anything'. In the busy lifestyles many of us live, what better time than now, then to began to strengthen the mind. Detox the mind and the way to do that is to have some quiet time to yourself and when you are sitting quietly at first your thoughts are going to bounce around and they may even rage like a bull but it is a process, a training process, the more often you do it the more quiet and calm the mind can become. Having peace within your mind indirectly grants you a level of mental toughness needed to get through adverse times as well as to achieve goals.

Invest in your Ideas, build your tomorrow or someone else will.

Ask yourself, if what your doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow?

Many of us can look at this picture and we could truly ask ourselves this question and statistically for many of us, we unfortunately become boggled down with the stress of everyday life that we lack the time or the determination to make goals and dreams happen for ourselves because let's face it most of us have families that we have to provide for and we just lack the time to do it, appear to be the excuses we usually give ourselves. After much evaluation and observation of those around me and others I notice that the one thing that hold most of us back is #1 Fear #2 Discipline. Fear is that invisible troll that none of us can physically see but plagues our hopes, dreams and destroy our ideas before we can even have an opportunity to even attempt to write a plan for this idea or goal. When you have an idea it is very important that you write those ideas down. Secondly, I would suggest that you become educated in the area of your idea, for instance if you have the goal of owning your own cafe it is important that you educate yourself about the inner and outer workings of a cafe and entrepreneurship. Along with doing that, you may be an amazing chef but you are not the most business savvy person in your area to run a business so this is when you would have to make the executive decision too ensure that have people too run the business aspect while you run the kitchen. However, I would definitely suggest to those with this vision of opening a cafe or any vision whatsoever to align your natural knowledge with your supernatural knowledge which are your ideas, so that you can eventually make this idea or dream a reality as well as a success. If you get one salt and pepper shaker at a time just know that you can do it. Adversity greets all of us at some point in life, some of us more frequently than others but that is when you have to become determined and inspired to make things happen for yourself. I didn't believe that ideas are recycled but they are, at least that's my opinion. Have you ever had one of those moments when you had an idea and you thought because you didn't have any money to fund the idea or you thought of an idea but you just let it slip your mind because you didn't know who to turn too in order to make this idea become a reality, so you no longer entertained the idea and then at some point in the future your sitting back nonchalantly and are watching the television and you see an infomercial with the same exact idea you had but you was unwilling to care and nurture the idea, so someone else did. Don't let anyone else profit off of your idea. Invest in yourself and work hard to get where you want to be in the future.

Ability, Motivation and Attitude. How far will you go?

This word capable takes me back to my days as young child, socializing in the single file lines of my elementary school halls in which I was being a regular kid, constantly being told too keep quiet. be still, keep your hands too yourself, etc. I recall the days of serving in after school detention because I wouldn't apply myself and follow directions. everyone could see what I was unable to comprehend at such a young age and that was my capabilities. Unfortunately, I still feel as if there are days that I don't take my instructors advice and fully apply myself. We have the ability and the capabilities to do such great things but often times it takes other people to see it within us the very ability that we can't see within ourselves. Most of us never scratch the surface of our potential and what we are capable of because we lack encouragement, direction or most of all motivation. Motivation is something that drives you to do something but the way motivation works it can be internal for some and for others' they may obtain their motivation by factors outside of themselves. No matter if motivation is internal or externally driven for you we all need to be motivated. Those who are internally motivated on their own to work toward goals or accomplishment usually have no need for an entire cheer leading team, a life coach and constant encouragement. However, I myself am one of those people who has to have external stimulation to become motivated to proceed into my capabilities. To do so I surround myself with people who push me. I listen to motivational and inspirational cd's to get me pumped. I recall there was only one thing in my life I never needed motivation or encouragement to do and that was to practice, perform and compete with the two instruments that I was an amazing student of and that was being Clarinetist. That is the only thing that I didn't have to be told the importance of investing my time, energy and effort into it. It was my first love, my outlet my escape from the age of 12-19. I traveled and performed in musical competitions on the local and state level. For me as talented as I was my attitude was horrible. I was your typical rebellious teenager but I also knew that was the one thing that I was truly good at doing and that was playing those two musical instruments and loving the true Art of Music. I accomplished many things musically even, got awarded a music scholarship to college but because my attitude was not the greatest my talent alone wasn't enough to keep me at the top of my game. So, whatever your passionate about or whatever goals you are working towards just remember, know that you are capable, stay determined or motivated and have a positive attitude while on the journey.

Ideas

Everything that is created from an invention to a business started with an idea. The chair you are sitting in, the computer device that your reading this post on began with someone's thought or idea. Have you ever had an idea and chose not to act on the idea because you thought that maybe it was kind of corny or you didn't know how to go about getting that idea or invention into action without any money or business plan then you forget about it and all of a sudden you are watching television one day then you notice your very idea is being paraded around by someone else on an infomercial??? How sad and fooled you feel because you had thrown your idea away and chose not to act on it but I have come to realize that ideas unused are your trash that becomes someone else's treasure so be sure to write out your ideas and never be afraid to act on your ideas it may just be the invention the world has been waiting for to make the difference that needs to be made.

Derailed by Fear

It is so easy to have dreams and goals but slow down as if we are proceeding with caution  because we fear the unknown. It is my belief that we fear the unknown of failure, disappointment, defeat and ridicule more than we fear the actual feeling of fear itself. It is amazing too me how the human mind proceeds to purpose, destiny and success with caution but we do not proceed with caution towards things that we know may present us with long-term negative affect or destruction. I know because most of us if we are honest with ourselves have done this before, but I encourage you today to step into your greatness. Don't be afraid to succeed, flourish or be nourished into your best self. Rome wasn't built in a day and nor will your vision but you must not be afraid to build it one brick at a time. If you tremble with fear of failing, not getting it right or whatever, map out your blue print and begin. Proceed forward as a builder and build towards your destiny, with welcoming arms of that trembling, embracing that fear because it will take that much more courage in order to conquer that fear but it may take you laying one brick at a time until you are no longer bound to that fear.

Encouragement of the Day!

The rewarding parts of the Journey of life is the ability to get back up again and continue to move forward and not submitting to defeat but however learning from it.

Your future is created by what you do today, not what you do tomorrow!

Your future is created by what you do today, not what you do tomorrow!
This particular quote really doesn't need to be elaborated upon much because it is true in every aspect of the statement. It is very important that we not put off the things for tomorrow that we can do on today. This statement speaks volumes of motivation to people like me because I am naturally a procrastinator and I have to be reminded often until it is second nature for me to do the things that are in my control on today and not wait until tomorrow. I do believe by enacting this quote this will help an individual develop better habits and better habits leads to a more productive or fulfilled journey. 

Dreams don't work unless you do! -E.Mays

Dreams don't work unless you do! -E.Mays
It is such a myth if we think that we can be successful or achieve our desired goals with little to no work and that is simply false. Whatever you do, get motivated and don't be afraid to invest time, energy and effort into making your goals or dreams a reality. I recall when I was younger I always had a dream of being a college graduate but I learned the hard way that enrolling in school wasn't enough I had to actually work while I was enrolled in order to get the desired outcome of actually being a graduate, so I had to do the things that were necessary, such as get a tutor, put in extra hours of reading or studying for my test, choosing not to hang out with my friends because I knew that I had deadlines too meet. Those sacrifices paid off I ended performing so well, I obtained a scholarship and was able to obtain several degrees. So don't be afraid to invest in yourself and your future, the return will be greater than you can imagine! 

Great Things come to those who don't wait

Great things come to those who don't wait!

I would love to think that we had forever to complete task but the truth is, in reference to accomplishing goals, we don't have infinity to change our situation. We are given 24 hours each day to do what we set our mind to achieve. The time to begin is now. I am the princess of procrastination, I won't say queen because I have a close relative that waits until the last minute to do absolutely everything, including carpooling the kids to school on time. However, research and study has shown that some of the most successful people in the world do not wait around for someone else to make things happen for them. I do not believe that an individual have to be overly aggressive to complete there goals, especially if that person has an introverted personality but I do believe that you have to apply effort in developing good habits to get you there and managing your time, aka not procrastinating would be at the top of the list. Whatever goals you would like to achieve no one else can do it for you. If that means that you must find out what motivates you to get you up and moving let that be your fuel starting out and in order to sustain that energy you must apply good habits such as: Goal Setting, Time Management, and Implementation. So whatever you do, just get moving because good things definitely come to those who don't wait on there goals to just achieve themselves.

Great Things come to those who don't wait

Great things come to those who don't wait!

I would love to think that we had forever to complete task but the truth is, in reference to accomplishing goals, we don't have infinity to change our situation. We are given 24 hours each day to do what we set our mind to achieve. The time to begin is now. I am the princess of procrastination, I won't say queen because I have a close relative that waits until the last minute to do absolutely everything, including carpooling the kids to school on time. However, research and study has shown that some of the most successful people in the world do not wait around for someone else to make things happen for them. I do not believe that an individual have to be overly aggressive to complete there goals, especially if that person has an introverted personality but I do believe that you have to apply effort in developing good habits to get you there and managing your time, aka not procrastinating would be at the top of the list. Whatever goals you would like to achieve no one else can do it for you. If that means that you must find out what motivates you to get you up and moving let that be your fuel starting out and in order to sustain that energy you must apply good habits such as: Goal Setting, Time Management, and Implementation. So whatever you do, just get moving because good things definitely come to those who don't wait on there goals to just achieve themselves.

Encouragement of the Day!

Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words, keep your words positive because your words become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values, keep your values positive because your values become your destiny. -Ghandi

Motivation of the Day!

Winners are not people who never fail but people who never quit!

Encouragement of the Day

When you focus on problems, you'll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you'll have more opportunities.

-Kushand Wizdom

It is so easy for us to become lost in our world of problems but what separates the STRONG from the WEAK is often times the difference in how we see things. Sometimes those who are a bit weaker in the mind tend to dwell on the negative aspect of things but those who are stronger tend to have a mindset of optimism. Its like the concept of looking at the glass half full vs.half empty and vice versa. I believe that it is human nature to automatically think the worst, when a problem first arises but the human mind can be trained, just like the human body can be trained. We can train the human thoughts but that takes time. You have to feed your mind positive thoughts until your natural response evolves into optimism and not the worst outcomes so quickly. So commit yourself to learn how to be optimistic and hopeful and the shift will slowly take place to become a more positive you. Happy Thursday!

Encouragement of the Day!

The Secret to getting ahead is getting Started!
When you remain motionless your not being productive and when your not productive you are less likely to fulfill your goals, so lets get moving and get started in achieving our goals.

Encouragement of the Day!

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is your strength." -Ghandi
We all face adversity in life, some of us face more adversity than others but whether you face small or large challenges only you can ultimately decide how that resistance will be utilized. You can turn it into fuel or you can allow your challenger to become your captor and submit fully to adversity and become stuck and stagnant. I would like to encourage that sometimes it is so normally to get stopped in your tracks or journey by the things of life but time will pass and that is one of many things of this world scientist and geniuses alike have no control over and that is time and nature, neither can be stopped so no matter how long you have been stopped in your tracks by life's challenges choose to eventually get up and be productive. You owe it to yourself to contribute your gift, talents and purpose to the world.
-Happy Sunday

Encouragement of the Day!

"Do it now, sometimes later becomes never!"-Unknown

I thought this quote was so fitting to those who struggle with procrastination. I myself often times struggle with procrastination, probably more than I would care to admit but don't let procrastination rob you of your potential and dreams. If you can't find a reason to make things happen create a reason to make things happen for yourself. You owe it to yourself to live and enjoy what you are doing while you are here. Everything doesn't have to be about money however it can be hard to spend alot of time enjoying doing what we love even if it does not generate us alot of money because society has created this image that nothing is worth seeking unless it draws in alot of money. Your love should come from the passion or fulfillment your receive not the love of the amount of money you will receive from it. So get started on that thing you love and don't let society money shame you about the revenue of your passion.

Provoking Thought of the Day!

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.-Albert Einstein
I love this quote above by Albert Einstein, it is so true. Many of us are so afraid of failing that we become unwillingly to step out and attempt our goals, dreams or desires because we fear failing, we fear making mistakes or we fear how others' will perceive us if things don't workout. I tell you sometimes it can be more of a burden to be stagnant and have your mind clouded with regrets and what if's than to simply just step out and take a chance. Sometime the overwhelming picture of where we ultimately would like to end up overshadows our attempt to just take baby steps, just one step at a time. We all have greatness within us but let that be your fuel and motivation and not your fear!

Provoking Thought of the Day!

The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach. 
-Benjamin Emays

Motivation of the Day!

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. -Zig Zigler

Growing as a Newly Published Arthor

Today I went to my very first Writers Group Meeting and it was so amazing. I was proud of myself for one stepping outside of my box and doing something totally different with my daily routine and networking with other writers, very experienced and seasoned writers, in which all have been writing longer than I have been alive. This was new, challenging yet rewarding because I am a true creature of habit and Change and I never really got along to well. So for that I am proud of myself. The second reason why I am so proud of myself is because I read one of my non-published poetry pieces aloud to the group and the floor was open for suggestions, critiques and feedback. I am so proud of myself for this as well because for me it was all about trusting myself that I was okay to let that wall down to let others in on something so precious too me which is my writing. I really enjoyed the Writers Group and I am looking forward to sharing more of my written work with the group, as it will help me to become better at my craft.
If you are a writer or you have a particular niche that you have a special interest in and are just beginning or experienced maybe you should research and find meetup groups in your area that you can participate in, develop yourself more or invest in others so that you too can help to create a sense of purpose in yourself or others.

Self Challenge....50,000 words to build focus

Debating about doing a 50,000 word challenge for my new writing project that I am currently working on. Since I have already began working on the new writing project. I am trying to find ways to focus and enforce the ideas of strict deadlines in my world of creativity. If I do this I wonder if my creativity would be the same? When I say creativity I mean the quality. Not everything that is written will be published, in fact most of it won't become published but to say the least I wonder if strict deadlines can help build my focus as a writer? Will have to test the theory and possibly take you guys along on the journey with me. Happy Tuesday!

Encouragement of the Day

Though this is the last day of the year and this is the time many people reflect on the year that they have had and set goals or resolutions to do better for the new year but lets be mindful that the things that will make your changes stick is developing good habits. You have to create the habits that will bring about the change you want to see. For instance, if you would like to be a bit more healthy, then you must create habits such as drink less soda and choose water as your primary drink of choice or eat less processed food, in order to make this a permanent change and not just a temporary resolution.  I look forward to seeing some of the resolutions or habit changes many of you would like to make. Have a safe and happy New Year!

What do the lonely do at Christmas?

The Holiday season is not always the most amazing time for some people, especially the lonely. There is a legendary song committed to loneliness at Christmas time, by the Emotions released in 1973. What do the lonely do at Christmas? If you are in the lonely category and you are able to engage with others, get out of the house now....run!!! Do not sit around in sorrow or depression go out and mingle. Go bowling, to the movies, to a pub, or better yet get out and spend time with other people and when you do that you will forget about how you feel. So to all my lonely people what do the lonely do at Christmas. The lonely are taking charge and the lonely are going to be active! Lets go to the movies or bowling lonely people, and if you don't have money just mingle, that is always free. Happy Holidays!

Working through the Holidays

Committed to my new writing project I decided to work during the Holiday Season. Working on the new manuscript this morning was so rewarding despite being extremely tired from the lack of rest and the potentially dangerous weather experienced here in the South East Region of the Country.
In reference to working on my long writing projects such as a Thesis, Essay or Books I have found that it is more comfortable for me to hand write my projects first then go back through to type it out, except for poems and of course blog posts, I feel less intimidated typing poems from the birth to the end of the work. I have a habit of looking at my word count and amount of pages when I doing long writing projects. I tend to get distracted by the less important part of the project which is page numbers and word count instead of being focused on the most important part which is quality work and creativity. If I continue to work hard through the holidays and get those ideas out of my head and onto the page the sooner you guys can read the new book. Happy Reading.

Winter Weather is great for reading

Because we spend so much time on the inside in the Winter it is usually great for curling up under a blanket, with a hot cup of cocoa with marshmallows but I personally prefer hot Tea with Lemon and honey and grab the remote and watch a great movie but because winter has not rolled in for most of the United States right now it is kind of hard to recreate this idea or this vision because it is simply too warm.
However, I am hopeful that the weather will soon turn and become drastically cold because I live in the South and warm in the Winter for us usually means terrible tornado's, so for this reason I am extremely hopeful that it will get cold soon.
I also would like it to become cold for another reason. I want to be able to curl under my blanket and challenge myself to read as well as write. I notice that I am more productive from a reader and an author's aspect in the Fall and Winter Season and during the Spring and the Summer I am a bit more active because I am not limited to the inside. Since it has been warm I have found myself without a book, pen or paper but with the remote and my new writing project is not getting as much attention as it deserves. So I am challenging myself and I no that if I write, and post it I will be more likely to hold myself accountable if I put it into the Universe so not only am I holding myself accountable those who enjoy my work will hold me accountable as well because they do ask, how the project is coming along so that helps to keep me motivated because I know that I have a ton of people waiting for this work to be finished so they can read it. So instead of a weight loss new years resolution I am challenging myself to a resolution to put in more time reading and creatively writing despite the weather because I know that it is apart of what I desire to do. Also, I am not waiting to the New Year to enact this challenge I have already started so, I am committing myself to put in more time reading and writing daily despite the weather and that is literal and figuratively speaking. Have you guys thought about what changes or challenges you would like to enact for the new year?

Motivation of the Day

Work hard and be proud of what you achieve.
You have the ability to make or break your destiny. On your journey you will feel lack luster about your goals and your plans but sometimes we have to get motivation and encouragement along the journey to help us reach our destiny. Youtube is filled with motivational videos and you can always purchase cd's of motivational speakers from Amazon or your local fedex/kinko's store if you have one, so that you can listen to motivational sayings in your car while you are driving to work, running errands etc. You would be amazed how your mental engine can get a boost just off of listening to words of encouragement, motivation and hope. So be kind to yourself today and soak up a positive message. Great Day to all!

Encouragement of the Day

Do something today that your future self will thank you for.

Encouragement of the Day

If you can't stop thinking about it, don't stop working for it.

Motivation of the Day!

Don't stop when you are tired, Stop when you are done!
It is so hard achieving and accomplishing your goals so make sure that you stay the course and put in the hard work and effort that it takes that can aide you in becoming prepared for greater opportunities when they present themselves, even when you are tired, take a water break but don't stop your journey until you get the desired results.

Im Enough

To know that you are enough takes alot of work and investment of time and energy in yourself to build a level of confidence that you need to be able to hold your head high and know that even with your flaws your are flawlessly created. Learn to build your confidence by trying new things. Incorporate something, a new adventure or it could be something small it only has to be something new. When a person steps outside of their box and try a new adventure or even taking baby steps and try a small task it does something to their confidence. It makes them less afraid to try new things and thus resulting in a bit more confident than you were before stepping out. So work on trying something new big or small. See you along the journey!

Awesome Reviews on the book

The book has been getting really good reviews so if you haven't read it yet, check it out men and women have both been able to see pieces of themselves in the book. So don't forget to get your copy today. Head over to www.lulu.com and type in Im Enough and there you will find the hard copy or the ebook. It is also available at Barnes and Nobles, in store and online. You can find it at Amazon as well as Apple Ibooks and Samsung Play books. 

Second Book signing was a success

The second book signing was a success.

Second Book Signing

Sunday, December 6,2015 at Tuscaloosa Public Library 2pm-5pm. Come and join us to get your copy of Im Enough. The book sold on sight will be $10 but the book is available at lulu.com Barnes and Nobles in store and online, Amazon, Apple Ibook and Android Play books.

Provoking Thought of the Day

Overcoming Self doubt is the key ingredient to accomplishing that goal you have sat on the back shelf to collect dust. 

Dont fear failure

The more risks I take to reach my goals the less afraid of failing I become. 

Don't ever allow fear to cripple you to the point you do not take chances for yourself to achieve your goals. Failure like rejection is apart of life just like Love and happiness too is apart of life its just about stepping out and attempting to take a chance on something we have know outcome of how it will turn out. However, that is the beauty in the journey because you can discover and learn new things about yourself and you learn that you can achieve many things if you attempt to do it, invest in it and stay consistent in your goals.  

Its too HARD.

Don't think that it is impossible to achieve something because it is HARD, it simply means you have to push past fatigue, procrastination or laziness to get it. 
No goal is going to come to you like simply orange juice you have to push past how you feel or what your circumstances may be to get what you want out of life. It is easy to sit down on the journey but it is more rewarding to keep going. So, choose to push past how you feel to obtain your goals. And when I say goals this is not defined by how much money you have or what material items you posses but the gratification or the rewarding feeling you get when you have set a goal and achieved it or working towards it. That goal could be to jog one mile or two miles. This is a point of greatness within yourself but the media culture that surrounds us today minimizes things such as that which renders us in thinking that its not worthy because its not big too them. So work hard to obtain the goals you would like to achieve so you can ultimately have what you want.

Provoking Thought of the Day

Pick and choose your battles wisely, not everything needs to be entertained. 

Encouragement of the Day

Surround yourself with positive people, people that add value to your life not that devalue your life. 

Provoking Thought of the Day

Words such as purpose and destiny sound like foreign language to us because its not a word we heard or hear in daily conversation.
However purpose and destiny is not suppose to be viewed as unattainable or something that is hard but in actuality it is suppose to be natural yet fulfilling to a place deep within ourselves. Spend some time in thought and figure out what it is that brings you the most fulfillment and joy. #LetsGetstarted #Purpose

First book Signing was a Success

A chapter reading and Q&A session. The signing was a Success. Thanks for the Support.

First Official Book Signing Tomorrow.

Outlook of the Day.

It can be hard to find hope when you are going through the frustrations of life but that is why it is good to have a positive or amazing friend, before you can get one, be one!

Outlook of the Day

Your competition is not with others but with yourself, fighting to be better than you were the day before.